Improvement in ammoniacal-gas engines



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B. LAMM.

AMMONIAGAL GAS'EN'GINH,

Patented July 19, 1870.-

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N0.105,581. Patented my 19, 1870.

tive-power at its maximum of tension.

PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE LAMM, or NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMIENT IN AMMONIAQiAL-GAS ENGINES.

Specification tbrmiug part of Letters Patent No. 105,581, dated July 19, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE LAMM, of New 0r leans, in the parish of -()rleans, State of Louisir .ana, have invented an Annnoniacal-Gas Propeller, of which the-following is a specification:

The first part of my invention relates to an ad dltlon made upon the steam-engine, of waterchain bers inclosing the piston-rod and val ve-stem, so as to render it capable of being worked by annnoniacal gas instead ot' steam, without any loss whatever of the gas, which is returned to the common tank, where the exhaust is reabsorbed by aweak solution of aqua ammonia; The second-part of my invention relates to the application of liquefied ammoniacal gas, contained in a considerable numberof iron tubes, as theliquid from which, instead of water, the motivepower of the engine is derived. The third part relates to a weak solution of aqua ammonia, contained in a tank, in which the iron tubes .mentioned above are immersed, and in which, also, the ex haust-pipe of the engine is made to dip near the bottom. The gas exhausted while the engine is working is reabsorbed by this weak solution of aqua ammonia until the solution becomes saturated. The gradual reabsorption of the gas by the weak solution causes the latent heat of the gas to reappear, the consequence being the ret-ransfer, by means of the several aforesaid metallic tubes, (or surfaces,) of the heat thus given out in the weak solution, to the liquefied gas.

' This retransfer' maintains a constant temperature within the tubes, the result'ot' which is to keep an undiminished,pressure above the sun faces of the liquefied gas notwithstanding the expenditure of the gas in working the engine.

comes, by a remarkable phenomenon, as soon as the machineis set 1n motion, the furnace winch maintains, by an easily-regulated heat, the mo- 'lhe fourth part relates to the general application of the invention, the most important of which, at the presenttime, appears to be the propelling of street-cars, for which purpose it will certainly prove very economical, though 1 ant-satisfied that it is equally applicable as a. motive-power for all purposes whatever, and especially to the driving of machinery requiring only an intermittent action.

' By means of this invention any number of cars can be propelled, without fire thereon, for any reasonable distance, for liquefied ammoniacal gas gives a pressure, at the mean temperature of our atn'iosphere, of one hundred pounds to the square inch, and can be readily and economically lique- "fied under pressure by a process now well known in the arts. For example, the cars can be propelled at the expense of one single fire, heating, at the depot, a large feedingboiler containing a concentrated solution of aqua ammonia.

"The process of liquefying the ammoniacal gas -'-is rendered continuous by a fresh concentrated solution constantly pumped back into the boiler to replace the weak solution, which is drawn off from its bot-tom. The process for a continuous supply of liquefied annnoniacal gas being-well known, is here mentioned onlyt'or elearness sake. Figure l is awertieal section of the machine. Fig. ll is a' horizontal section of the machine.

Fig. l, A represents the cylinder of a steamenginegi B and U are two water-chambers, inclosing within them the packing-boxes of the piston-rod and of the valve-stem. Thosechambers are also each provided with a packing-box for the piston-rod and v a1 ve-stem to glide through, and are cast of a piece, li, wit-h the honnetot'the. cylinder, and C, with the steam -cliest. They communicate with each other by means of a small pipe, 1). Each water-chamber is connected with tank F by means of pipes E E, so as to allow a free circulation of water from them to the tank. Any leakage which may accidentally occur from the cylinder is necessarily absorbed-by the Weak aqua ammonia in chambers B and 0, there being no loss of gas from leakage, whichmu'st go the same way as the exhaust. The tubes lettered J J, belonging to the reservoir L L, are ca-lked in the tube-sheets, top and bottom. These tubes comprise almost all the heating-surface of the said-reservoir. They are surmounted by a dome, boltedgas-tight on the oute'rrim of the upper tube-sheet, and. are inclosed at the bottom by a dished iron bonnet bolted on the rim of the lower tube-sheet. Afiange, on the lower portion of the dome, is bolted gas-tight on the top of tank F, to which it serves as a cover, while it is, at the same time, a support to reservoir L L. The tube K is connected, both above and'below, with the reservoir, and afibrds additional roomjt'or the expansion of the gas; At the top of tube K is attached the pressure-pipe M M, which is provided with a valve. The pipe N N is the exhaust-pipe of the engine, and dips down in tank F to within two or three inches of the bottom. This exhaustpipe is provided with a cheek-valve, in order to prevent the aqua a-nnnonia in the tank from fi ooding the cylinder on stopping the engine.

I will now describe the working of the machine-z The tubes in reservoir L L are filled with liquefied ammoniacal gas and tank F is two-thirds filled with aweak solution of aqua ammonia. The engine is now iricondition to communicate motion, by pulley or any other gearing, to any machinery or vehicle, by simply opening the valve in pipe M M; and it works along, as if propelled by steam, until the liquefied ammoniacal gas in reservoir L L becomes exhausted. Now, if the engine is used to propel street-cars, as each car has partly expended the gas contained in reservoir L L, said gas having been during the trip absorbed by the weak solution of aqua ammonia, this now saturated solution is pumped back, at the depot, into the feeding-boiler for redistillation. The reservoir is then charged anew with liquefied gas, the tank resnpplied with a weak ammoniacal solution, at a proper temperature, drawn from the feeding-boiler; the ear is then ready for the trip. Thus, the sole expense of propelling an unlimited number of cars is that of the fuel necessary to heat the feeding-lmiler at the central depot.

A further proof of the economy of working liquefied ammoniae'al gas, instead of steam, is derived from this fact, that one gallon ot'liquefied ammoniaca-l gas, under a pressure of six and a-half atmospheres at 50 Fahrenheit, expands into nine hundred and eighty-three volumes of gas, while water, under the same pressure M320 Fahrenheit, only gives a volume of two hundred and ninety-five of steam to one of water; also, the quantity of coal necessary to evaporate four gallons of waterwill produce five gallons ot'lique lied ammoniaca-l gas.

What I claim as my owninvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The addition of water-chambers to the steamengine, for the purposes set forthand specified.

2. The tubular reservoir containing the liquefied ammoniacal gas, substantially as specified.

3. The tank F, or its equivalent, in combina tion with the reservoir L, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the reservoir and tank with the engine and water-chainhers, for the purposes set forth and specified.

, EMILE LAMM.

Witnesses:

E. SABOURIN, P. J. MCMAHON. 

